Friday, September 7, 2012

Cranberry Olympic 2012

Location: Lakeville, MA

Distance: Olympic (.9mi s, 26.2mi b, 6.2mi r)
Time: Scheduled at 8, delayed due to fog
Weather: cool in the early morning, mid-hi 70s during the race
Total participants: 643

I hope you forgive me for back-to-back race reports for races that were almost two months apart ;) The summer's been a bit crazy, and I'm not even sure how it's September! Fewer pictures here, as I went down to the race myself. I did have a few friends racing/cheering that day, so it was fun to spot them a couple of times along the course!

Swim
Going off in the third wave meant I didn't have too much time to wait once the fog had lifted. The wave was quite sizable, so I stayed towards the front as we entered the water so as not to get stuck like last time. Lots of hands and feet for pretty much the whole swim, I even swam over someone for the first time! (Just her legs- I'm guessing one of us was going in the wrong direction...) I managed to keep a tight line to each buoy, so tight that I actually swam into a buoy on the way back! In addition to the blinding sun once you were heading back to shore, the lake got quite shallow. Luckily I didn't hit the ground and exited the water feeling strong at 26:46. Super pleased with the swim!! While the water was definitely warm, I never felt hot in my full-sleeve wetsuit so I was definitely glad I wore it.

T1: 3:10 I tried to be efficient, but there is some room for improvement!

Bike
When I did the sprint course two years ago, I remember nothing about the bike course. People said it was nice, through cranberry bogs and all, so this year I was determined to take a look around! Add in some gorgeous weather, and the bike course was indeed quite enjoyable. That is, until around mile 20, when my hip flexors and adductors started getting tight. After this it felt like I was pushing as hard as I could and yet slowing down. There were some rolling hills, but nothing to write home about. Off the bike in 1:27:35 (18mph), it wasn't quite the time I was hoping for, but solid nonetheless.

T2: 1:39

heading out on the run

Run
Definitely glad to be off the bike, I wasn't quite sure about the run due to my tight hips. There was a good amount of shade on the course which definitely helped with the rising temperatures and bright sun. I felt alright out of T2 and even started to feel good by mile 4. However things the tightness in my hips/legs didn't go away and although I needed some more nutrition, my stomach was having none of it. The was one hill on the course, about mile 5 if I remember correctly. Try as I might to just keep running (one mile at a time was my mantra that day), I ended up walking twice for short stints around mile 5. After the hill I managed to keep going and finish strong once we got back in the park for a 55:27 run (8:57min/mile).

finish line in sight!

Clock Time: 2:54:36
AG 17/47
Overall 312/643

I finished with mixed feelings on this race- a great swim and an 11min PR for an olympic-distance tri is definitely something I'm proud of (different course, but still). I gave it all I had that day, I just know I've got a better race in me. I'll see you next year, Cranberry Oly!